Santa Anita Park Enigma: 21 Perished Racehorses Leave Unanswered Questions
In the last ten weeks, 21 racehorses have died or been euthanized at the renowned Santa Anita Park racecourse in California. The management team is faced with a dilemma as animal welfare organizations like PETA apply pressure on them. The racecourse is currently closed.
Is the rain to blame for the tragedies?
Since the racing season began in December, 21 racehorses have sustained severe injuries at the legendary Santa Anita Park equestrian center in Arcadia, California, resulting in their death or euthanasia. The latest horse to die at Santa Anita Park was a four-year-old mare named Let's Light The Way, owned by horse enthusiast Debbie McAnally. She said, "I named her Let's Light The Way because she was an almost white thoroughbred and because of the delicate way she walked."
Due to these unfortunate incidents, the racecourse has been closed temporarily, with only limited training ongoing. A group of investigators is presently attempting to determine the cause of these accidents. Necropsies are reportedly being conducted on the horses involved in the mishaps. However, it may take months before the results are available.
Both trainers, horse owners, track officials, and animal welfare activists were surprised and alarmed by the high death toll. The track's spokesman, Mark Willman, stressed that the injuries were complex and that rainfall has been the primary cause of the accidents.
Southern California has recently experienced a cold and wet winter, the wettest in decades: Roughly 30cm of rain fell in February alone, with temperatures dropping below 21°C. Despite the track being consistently covered with special materials to prevent washouts, many individuals involved with Santa Anita Park believe that the rain is to blame for the animal casualties.
Does the ground cause the accidents?
Jim Cassidy, president of the Thoroughbred Trainers Association (TTA), whose horse Amboseli endured "catastrophic injuries" and later died, is one of those who believes the rain is the culprit. Cassidy explained that a sealant is used to prepare for storms, but becomes too porous when it rains, causing the track surface to become too soft.
Conversely, the track turns too hard once the rain stops. As a result, Cassidy has been advocating for a synthetic track since 2010, as the current track has become "increasingly difficult to maintain" with "drainage problems."
To analyze the cause of the accidents, the condition of the racecourse is currently being meticulously investigated. Dennis Moore, manager of the Los Alamitos and Del Mar racecourses in Orange County, is being consulted for this purpose. Using a machine that simulates the gallop of horses, the Santa Anita Park track is being thoroughly inspected for flaws and hazards. However, no conclusive results have been obtained yet. Additionally, the track was examined using georadar, which allows scientists to precisely assess the composition of the top layers of soil, but no defects leading to the accidents have been discovered during this investigation.
Only one week before the last horse died at the track, the Santa Anita Park owner, Stronach Group, announced the temporary closure of the business. The track was also inspected unsuccessfully by the University of Kentucky. One week prior to the last horse's death, Professor Mick Peterson inspected the track, commenting on the consistency of the surface's composition. "The main thing is consistency," he said, insisting that the surface was "100% safe." However, just a few days later, Debbie McAnally's horse perished.
Are performance-enhancing substances involved?
The theory that rain and ground conditions are responsible for the unfortunate accidents is not universally accepted. Instead, another explanation has emerged, particularly championed by the animal welfare organization PETA: the use of drugs and performance-enhancing substances. PETA is backed by equine veterinarian Rick Arthur in this regard.
The vet asserted that the horses were all different in nature, making it impossible to attribute the causes of death solely to weather conditions and track type. He pointed out that the animals came from 19 different trainers and were not particularly old. The vet thus sees the deaths as primarily stemming from intensifying business operations. He stated, "We can't expect any clear answers here. We can only hope that strategies will be developed to make racing safer. It's not just the track, it's not just the horse. It's the whole schedule, the training program, the racing program, everything."
Californian racehorses undergo rigorous drug testing, and trainers are only permitted to administer a specific amount of anti-inflammatories.
Even though no one in the racing industry has pointed to drugs as a possible issue, animal welfare advocates have often criticized the use of painkillers, saying they push the horses' performance to the brink. Kathy Guillermo, Vice President of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), informed us she's been talking to Santa Anita about this problem. As of now, no further details have emerged, so we'll have to wait and see what happens next.
Read also:
- BVB trails 1-0 against Paris, with Füllkrug leading them towards the final.
- Munich Drama: Late Real Penalty Leaves Bayern Shocked
- Lars is capable of leading BVB, according to many.
- Subsequent torrential rainfall leads to 48 fatalities due to partial highway collapse in China.
Source: www.onlinecasinosdeutschland.com
